Content Area(s): Earth Science Topic: Air Pollution and Weather Short description: Israeli researchers data showed that raindrops and ice crystals formed in unpolluted clouds but the process was turned off in those parts crossed by the long, narrow smoke plumes.
Claim: Air pollution from heavy industry, power plants, and oil refineries may prevent rainfall.
Keywords: air pollution, weather Difficulty of Concept: Easy
MS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-2. Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ETS1 Engineering Design
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy
RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Air pollution from heavy industry, power plants and oil refineries may prevent rainfall locally. Israeli researchers tracked plumes of smoke across the countryside. The tiny particles of dust, soot and chemicals from factories can shut down rain-bearing clouds, says Daniel Rosenfeld of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His study, which was published in the US journal Science, reports the rain droplets become too small to fall.
Clouds are made up of microscopic drops of water, but these will not fall as rain until tiny particles cause them to clump together into droplets. It takes about 1 million tiny droplets to merge to form one raindrop large enough to fall without evaporating on the way down.
In polluted clouds, Dr. Rosenfeld found too many small droplets and too few big ones. Smaller droplets were slower to freeze and form ice crystals, so pollution also reduced snowfall. Dr. Rosenfeld believes that the pollution causes there to be so many particles that there are lots of small droplets and too few big enough to fall as rain.
Using satellite data, Dr. Rosenfeld tracked plumes of pollution over Turkey, Canada, and Australia. He used other satellite instruments to map what happened in rainclouds. The data showed that raindrops and ice crystals formed normally in unpolluted clouds. The process appeared to slow down or oven turn off when the clouds formed inside the pollution.
Title: Pollution Stops Rain From Falling
Content Area(s): Earth ScienceTopic: Air Pollution and Weather
Short description: Israeli researchers data showed that raindrops and ice crystals formed in unpolluted clouds but the process was turned off in those parts crossed by the long, narrow smoke plumes.
Claim: Air pollution from heavy industry, power plants, and oil refineries may prevent rainfall.
Keywords: air pollution, weather
Difficulty of Concept: Easy
Reading Level (Pit Stop 8 Article):
Flesch Reading Ease: 55.2Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 9.9
Lexile: 1200
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-ESS3 Earth and Human ActivityMS-ESS3-2. Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ETS1 Engineering Design
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/LiteracyRST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Vocabulary Words: clouds, microscopic
Topic of Game Introduction Video: Do's and Don'ts: Reasonable Arguments
Link to Game Introduction Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTqlLFBGUAU
Full Text of Article:
Air pollution from heavy industry, power plants and oil refineries may prevent rainfall locally. Israeli researchers tracked plumes of smoke across the countryside. The tiny particles of dust, soot and chemicals from factories can shut down rain-bearing clouds, says Daniel Rosenfeld of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His study, which was published in the US journal Science, reports the rain droplets become too small to fall.Clouds are made up of microscopic drops of water, but these will not fall as rain until tiny particles cause them to clump together into droplets. It takes about 1 million tiny droplets to merge to form one raindrop large enough to fall without evaporating on the way down.
In polluted clouds, Dr. Rosenfeld found too many small droplets and too few big ones. Smaller droplets were slower to freeze and form ice crystals, so pollution also reduced snowfall. Dr. Rosenfeld believes that the pollution causes there to be so many particles that there are lots of small droplets and too few big enough to fall as rain.
Using satellite data, Dr. Rosenfeld tracked plumes of pollution over Turkey, Canada, and Australia. He used other satellite instruments to map what happened in rainclouds. The data showed that raindrops and ice crystals formed normally in unpolluted clouds. The process appeared to slow down or oven turn off when the clouds formed inside the pollution.
References/Sources:
Additional Content:
Author: Kathy Carlsen